Ahmadinejad vows to 'cut the hand off' Iran's enemies ahead of UN summit

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who is set to appear at the United Nations today, warned foreign powers against striking Iran, saying it would “cut the hand off” of any potential attackers before they had the chance to do so, as Tehran flaunted its hardware in a military parade.

His fiery address came just hours before he flew to New York for the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, where world leaders hope to hammer out a consensus over how to deal with Iran’s nuclear ambitions.

With protests continuing at home and widespread goodwill buoying President Obama’s diplomatic efforts on multiple fronts, this year’s meeting may see Mr Ahmadinejad more isolated than ever.

He has chosen to go into the meeting fighting, with last week's widely condemned speech questioning the Holocaust followed by his defiant assertions of Iran’s military strength on Tuesday, the anniversary of the beginning of the Iran-Iraq War.
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“No power dares to contemplate an invasion against Iran,” Mr Ahmadinejad said in a speech at the parade marking the day. “The Iranian nation will resist all invaders. Our armed forces will cut the hand off anyone in the world before it pulls the trigger against the Iranian nation.”

Upping the ante further, the chief of Iran’s nuclear agency chose the day to announce a new generation of centrifuges for enriching uranium, stronger and faster than those previously used. Diplomats said there was little new in the announcement, but the timing was significant.

The leaders of the E3 + 3 – the US, Britain, Russia, China, France and Germany – are due to meet for dinner tomorrow to forge a strategy for talks with Iran, scheduled to begin on October 1. Hopes of winning over Russia to a tougher line have been lifted by Washington’s concession over the Eastern European missile shield.

Those talks will come just hours after Mr Ahmadinejad addresses the assembly. His reception will be keenly watched. The post-election crisis in Iran has sapped much of his legitimacy and Mr Obama’s global popularity makes it harder for the Iranian leader to cast himself as the plucky challenger to American hegemony.

In previous years, Mr Ahmadinejad has used his speech to voice anti-Semitic and anti-Zionist rhetoric – to widespread condemnation. The Israeli and United States delegations habitually boycott his speech and Israel has launched a diplomatic offensive this year to persuade more countries to walk out, linking his words to the nuclear issue.

At least two separate demonstrations by opposition Iranian groups are planned outside the UN Secretariat building. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Gabriella Shalev, said his country is explaining to others “how dangerous this man is, how dangerous his country is, how dangerous the process of nuclear development is”.

Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israel prime minister, will use his own speech on Thursday to focus on Iran. On Monday, Israel reiterated that it is keeping “all options on the table” to prevent its enemy from building a nuclear weapon, including military action.

Among the hardware on display in Tehran for the first time yesterday was the Russian-made Tor-M1 air-defence system, meant to defend Iran’s nuclear facilities against airstrikes. Iran is awaiting delivery of a newer version of the S-300 system from Russia but the shipment has been on hold for months due to pressure from the US and Israel, who now hope to get Russia to halt the sale altogether.

The parade also showed off various types of Iranian missiles, including the Shahab-3 and Sejjil, with ranges capable of hitting Israel. Western intelligence agencies believe that Iran has developed the Shahab-3 to carry a nuclear warhead despite Tehran’s continued denials about a weaponisation programme.

“Today, Iran is experienced and powerful,” Mr Ahmadinejad proclaimed. “Our armed forces are ready to confront the forces of darkness.” But the show of forces was overshadowed when a military transport plane crashed in the show, killing seven people.